Of Love Letters and Skepticism
by Turtlecorp
Summary: "...when he was staring at the envelope during the first few minutes of the period, he was utterly puzzled as to whom it could be from. And, naturally, this only served to spike his interest." Alejandro/Noah. Rated T for slash.
1. Prologue

Six months.

Six months since the third season had ended. Six months he'd had as a break from his physically exhausting reality TV star life. Six months since he had to deal with all the drama of being part of the "Total Drama" series (and hopefully for good this time). And he was planning on spending the next six months the same way.

Life had turned back to normal once he returned to high school and taking back his title of class president (there was a bit of debate about whether he should still have it, but everyone quickly realized it was a job best suited for him). Sure, at first, there was the occasional tease here and there about certain events that took place, but he brushed it off. There were also the fans that were constantly following him around and practically serving him like dogs—eager to please, wanting their heads petted in recognition for their loyalty – but he never rewarded their behavior.

As six months passed, however, the teasing had ceased with lack of fuel to pour on to the slowly dying ember. After six months, only the most obsessive of fans had stayed around. They had come to behave even more like dogs during that time, learning to disperse at Noah's command and coming to his defense at an instant's notice. He didn't need it regularly, but it was useful if he ever felt like skipping physical education—sports still weren't his forte`. Noah had amused himself once by comparing them to his own golden lab, and smirked when he realized that his fans had been even easier to train.

That wasn't to say Noah was cruel to his admirers, or was only using them to his advantages; he had actually managed to befriend quite a few of them. He even invited them over to play videogames, eat lunch together, or just hang out and talk. After the show, he kept in touch with his best friend from Total Drama, Owen, along with Izzy, Eva, and Cody. The only trouble was they all lived in different areas of Canada, and weren't always available to talk to. The closest out of all of his friends happened to be Eva, who lived only two hours away—as opposed to Izzy who lived on the opposite end of the country—but it wasn't a trip that either of them often took.

Regardless, those six months had offered a time of rest and relaxation for Noah; a time to reestablish his ties and security in his everyday life and move into a comfortable routine.

…until he received that fateful letter.

It was an early morning; a half an hour before school officially started. He had started the day in the usual way, with a quick shower and breakfast at home with two of his older siblings who had not graduated high school yet, the twins Mary and Elizabeth.

They were his ride to school, unfortunately, and—like every other day before—they had to play those annoying pop songs the entire way. He was promised their car after they graduated this year, though, so he couldn't easily argue for getting his own before then. He would just have to suffer the torture a bit longer until then.

After quickly unbuckling himself, grabbing his backpack and practically catapulting himself out of the car to get away from the music, he headed into the building at long last. However, as he approached his locker to retrieve his books, he noticed something taped to the front of it.

It was from that moment on that his day was drastically pulled from the normal routine.

On his locker was a white envelope.

Or so it appeared at first glance. On further inspection, he had noticed that there was something written out on it in faint, black ink.

_To: Noah_

He frowned and removed it from his locker with the slightest hint of suspicion. Staring at it anxiously, he debated with himself as to what to do with it. If it was someone from student council, there was the risk that it might take him all morning to take care of. Did he really want to sacrifice his few last moments of quiet before school started?

After a few seconds of contemplation, he decided to slip it into his backpack for now and read it during his third period study hall before he started working on his AP Spanish project. Satisfied with the choice, he went about his normal routine.

But, of course, time passed by so soon that it was already time for his study hall and the envelope must now be opened. He was skeptical of its contents—usually a certain member of student council signed the envelope in order to give him some idea what the contents would be about, or hell, even sent him an e-mail the night before. But, other than his name, the envelope was unmarked. He didn't even recognize the handwriting, though that could be from one of his fans or friends.

So, when he was staring at the envelope during the first few minutes of the period, he was utterly puzzled as to whom it could be from. And, naturally, this only served to spike his interests further.

Flipping the envelope around, he carefully opened it, pulling a letter out in return. It was firm, tan paper that was somewhat scratchy to the touch. This definitely wasn't from student council. Opening the folded paper, it appeared to be that the same handwriting on the envelope was present in the contents. It was written in cursive with that same faint, black ink, the wispy letters curling around entrancingly. However, it only furthered Noah's frown. None of his friends wrote in cursive, especially this formally.

_Noah,_

_How long has it been since I have last talked with you? From my fading recollections, it must have been several months by now._

_I'm afraid our last encounter has left us with a sour taste in both of our mouths. Or perhaps I am the only one of us who was horribly wounded by the parting? If so, you must be a lot more forgiving than I took you for, my dear friend. And if that is the case, then perhaps my apology might just be unnecessary._

_However, considering your expressions and harsh words during our final moments, this is quite an unreasonable thing to wish for, no? That's indeed what I thought._

_Oh, Noah, do you not see how these past months have been killing me? It has been only a few months since I have returned to my proper state, both mentally and physically, but—even during those moments—my feelings were unchangeable, untouchable by anyone who wished to disturb them._

_Perhaps you doubt my words. It is understandable, I suppose, after our dispute. To be honest, it was done in a rage of emotion after what you said about me. I had realized in that moment that you did not harbor the same feelings as I had, a gruesome revelation. I was unstable. 'If I could not have you,' I had thought, 'then no one else should ever.' And so, I convinced the others to vote against you. I just didn't want you seeing anyone else… _

_It was selfish of me, I admit. But, am I really to blame? You are so stunning; it would have been heartbreaking to see you with someone who doesn't deserve you. Perhaps this includes me? After all, I was testing the waters as well. To visibly demonstrate affection for another, though they would not admit it. I wanted to see if you would get jealous. And in the end, even after I had kissed her in front of you—in front of everyone—you remained neutral to the entire display._

_My plan had failed._

_Now, this letter is not meant to guilt you—you probably feel pride for 'putting me in my place' anyway—but to offer a type of reconciliation with you. Perhaps I will never regain your affections, but I would like a chance to prove that these words are true._

_I plead of you to give me a second chance to prove myself. I will have a small break from my work in three days, on Saturday. You have time to decide whether you are willing to meet me or not. Please, consider it, consider me. The address where I will be waiting for you is listed on the bottom of this letter._

_Until then amor mío,_

_Alejandro _

_P.S. If you were curious as to who actually delivered this letter, one of your many fans decided to do me a favor._

By the end of the letter, Noah's jaw was firm as he sat stiffly in his chair, eyes wide and disbelieving.

Swallowing thickly, his thoughts were trying to decide whether to tear up the letter or… or… something else. Something he didn't particularly want to think about right now.

All he knew for sure, right now, was that he suddenly wasn't in the mood to work on his Spanish project anymore.


	2. Chapter 1

"I thought you hated the guy? Shouldn't the choice be obvious, egghead?"

I crossed my arms, rolling my eyes, "I never said I hated him. I just don't trust the guy."

"But, you were considering meeting up with him? Alone? Without _us_ to protect you? If you don't "trust" the guy, then why would you agree to that?"

I groaned. How was I going to explain this properly to someone like Eva? It wasn't something just that simple that I could figure out alone. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a need to meet up with her. I tended to over think things too much, yet Eva was able to give a blunt and (usually) logical answer to help me think clearly. She at least had an opinion I could trust. The problem this time was showing her what made the choice so difficult.

I had invited her to town the day after I got the letter to ask her opinion. However, I didn't want to mention it until she was in a semi-content mood. I knew she hated Alejandro's guts. This, of course, meant that I had to spend most of the day at the gym with her and read while she worked out.

Feeling she wasn't in imminent danger of releasing her temper any time soon, I had hesitantly mentioned the letter—this lead to the explanation of my dilemma, leading to the current conversation.

"A second chance…" Oh, don't wear that look. You know exactly what I mean.

"Excuse me?" I winced in reply. This was going to be a painful explanation.

"Listen…during the first season I was… friends-ish with Owen. But, I ruined most of my chances thanks to the dodge ball game."

"Yeah, it's a wonder he still likes you. He did most of the work in the dodge ball game, you realize? He was even the last one standing on your team in the final match against Harold. Your insult pretty much translated into insulting him. After all—"

"—Okay! Okay. I get it. But, that's exactly my point. He gave me second chance to be his friend. Sure, he's a normally cheerful guy, so one could almost expect he would… and now, because of it, we're best friends. If he hadn't given me that second chance…"

"You probably would still be miserable and alone, right?"

"…Not the exact words I was looking for, but to that effect, yes."

"But, why would you do that for someone like Alejerkdro? You just had biting comments. He's, and I'm quoting _you_ now, a male Heather."

"Then you didn't notice."

"…what?" Hey, hey. Uncurl those fists. That wasn't meant as an insult.

"What I'm saying is, Heather changed this season. Maybe to win the game, sure—but, I think there were other reasons too."

"Oh, please. She gave up her chances with Alejandro for the million. That seems like the reason to me."

"I'm not saying that wasn't also a factor. I just think that there might've been another motivator."

"Alright then, brainiac, enlighten me."

"Leshawna."

"…"

"Look. Believe me or not, you can't deny that they became friends during Action. Heather even gave Leshawna her _wig_. You know she hates being seen bald—let alone being seen bald on international television. So, to do something like that really must have meant something. She did it because Leshawna became her friend. She even tried to warn her about Alejandro during World Tour—to try and keep her protected from elimination."

"So, you're saying friendship changed her?"

"Cliché way of putting it… but, yes, that's basically it."

"…And you think the same will work for Al?"

"That's the gist of it." …And just why are you smirking?

"I think you just answered your own question, egghead."

"…?" Oh, don't you roll your eyes at me—I'm supposed to be the sarcastic one here!

"This entire time…you've been arguing in favor of your reasons to see Alejandro. You didn't once mention what was holding _you_ back. You were only arguing against the reasons why _I_ didn't want you to meet up with him…Get it?

…oh.

_Oh… _Well then.

"…Well, I suppose that solves that dispute then."

"I guess so…Now can I finally get back to my pull ups? I've been holding onto this bar for a good ten minutes, at least."

"Hm? Oh, sure. Whatever you want, Iron Woman."

"Good…oh, and one more thing, egghead."

I made a non-committal grunt as I turned my attention back to my novel.

"Your face is red."

I rolled my eyes as she laughed and went back to her pull ups. After a few seconds, I grumbled to myself.

"…It is _not._"

* * *

"What! But—but you can't! Weren't you paying any attention at all last season to what he did! He messed with everyone—even your own team! I don't know if you realize it, but that includes _you_! Why would you agree to do such a thing! I thought you were some kind of genius!" I frowned as I held my phone out an arm's length. Jeez, I never knew that the kid had such big lungs; I think he nearly shattered one of my eardrums from that… Feeling a migraine coming on, I placed the phone back against my cheek after his yelling stopped.

"Listen, Cody. My decision is final; I just wanted to let you know in case something _does_ happen to me. If so, then do whatever you can to get me out of it. Can I trust you to do that?"

"I just don't see why you would even do it if there _was_ that risk to begin with!"

"Yet, you signed up to be on a reality TV show. Yeah, obviously you followed that bit of your own advice _so_ well."

"The sarcasm isn't needed, Noah. I'm just trying to keep you from being used or hurt by the guy!"

"Aw, so you do care."

"…Shut up." I smirked. He was so easy to mess with sometimes. "And I'm serious! Don't play along with his sick mind games."

"I'm serious too, Cody. All I'm asking from you is that you'll have my back if this doesn't go as planned."

"…"

"Cody…?"

"Yeah, yeah… alright… I still don't like it though." I smiled.

"That's all I'm asking." I heard him sigh, sounding exasperated.

"Just… be careful, alright? Don't trust everything he tells you. Be skeptical."

"Aren't I always?" I replied, amused, letting a few chuckles slip through.

"_Noah." _ _Sigh_. I know that tone—Cody's warning tone. And that's when I know he's really serious about something. Heh… I never thought he would use it when he was expressing concern for my safety though. You learn something new everyday, I guess.

"I got it, okay? I'll be careful. Happy?"

"…No." I roll my eyes.

"Of course you're not." Why should I be surprised? He would always be against my decision—I just knew it. That's another reason why I went to Eva for advice instead of Cody. Sure, Cody was a great friend, just… not the best when it came to making an important decision.

"Well…even so... Good luck, Noah." I was surprised to hear a chuckle after a brief pause. "And, hey, you never know. Maybe if you're able to actually change him, you'll finally have a boyfriend."

Oh, I could just _hear_ the smirk on his face. Just as I was about to present an indignant rebuttal to the accusation, he hung up on me. How childish…

* * *

And so time had passed far faster than I would have hoped it to. The day of the meeting arrived and I was getting uncharacteristically anxious. The directions enclosed in the envelope were leading to a place in my town that I was previously unfamiliar with. The place itself, thankfully, wasn't necessarily dangerous as much as it was simply run down. The people here were seemingly scarce, giving the whole area the feel of a ghost town. The only ones I saw as I walked to the meeting place were the occasional passer bys—wearing dirty, tattered clothing and looking apathetic and tired—or the bums on various street corners, a can of spare change sitting in front of him or her. All in all, it wasn't a place I hoped to visit on a regular basis.

Practically sighing in relief, I arrived at the apartment building where Alejandro was supposedly living. Not looking over the actual building too much, I took a few steps up the walk to press the buzzer of Alejandro's room. After a few seconds passed by, I finally received an answer.

"_Hola_. Who is this?" Although it was a bit fuzzy from the faulty microphone, I was able to recognize Al's voice.

Holding the talk button, I replied back to him, "It's me—Noah. You sent a letter saying you wanted to meet with me?" There was an awkward pause after this that left me to wonder if Alejandro hadn't really expected me to show up.

"…Come in. I'll unlock the door for you." Another buzzer sounded and the door to the apartment building unlocked for me. Opening it hesitantly, I stepped into the small foyer before walking up a few flights of stairs to reach Al's room.

_405…407…409… Aha! 411!_

I paused for only a few seconds before knocking on the door. A voice greeted me after a moment.

"It's open, my friend."

Oh. Right. I guess he meant that he would unlock both doors. After inhaling and exhaling slowly to calm myself, I finally summoned my quickly dispersing courage and grabbed the fake brass doorknob. I opened the door slowly and peered inside the dimly lit room, trying to make out the figure of my former teammate.

"Alejandro?"

Then, all of a sudden, a pair of firm, muscular arms engulfed me and I felt myself being pulled into a strong frame. Slightly panicking, I tried to thrash a bit to escape the grip of whomever my sudden attacker was. However, all I heard in reply was a few amused chuckles as one of the arms of the captor shifted slightly from its hold. A soft hand moved to soothingly rub my back in order to calm me; the warm chest I was held against helping to aid the cause.

"There is no cause for alarm, _pequeñito_; it's just me."

Recognizing the voice, I looked up and came face to face with the person who I was both dreading and secretly hoping to see. Captivating, green eyes; smooth, tanned skin; brown, silky locks—cut much shorter than when I saw him last—and a small smirk on his face completed the look of the young man who was currently holding me captive.

Alejandro.

"_Hola, chico… ¿C__ó__mo __estás_?"

"…You talk in way that implies we're familiar with one another," is my curt reply as I pull away from his embrace, trying to ignore the fact that my body was reluctant to do so.

"Are we not though? We were teammates after all… And your coming here implies that our bond did mean something to you after all, no?"

"…no. I just came here to—"I tried to interject, but I was cut off by Alejandro continuing on.

"Ah and where are my manners? Please, do come in."

He stepped away from the entrance, placing a strong hand on the small of my back and leading me inside as he kicked the door shut behind us.

The inside, while well organized and kept, made it even more obvious that money was scarce for him. The room he had ushered me into, the living room as it appeared to be, had walls stained from water leaks coming from the above apartment and from outside. The right hand wall had two mahogany doors on either side, currently closed so that I couldn't view the rest of the apartment. The wood framing of the only window, which showed the bleak, outside view, was chipped and worn; the actual window panes contained quite a few chips and cracks as well.

In front of the window was a small, worn couch facing a compact television, currently tuned into some news broadcasting channel. Adjacent to this was a circular, false wood (you could see where the plastic 'wood' effect was peeling off of it) table with two chairs, matching the table's false wood pattern. The actual floor wasn't too bad—it was obvious to tell that it had aged quite a bit—however, it was apparent that the wood flooring had been cleaned recently, as it possessed a glossy luster. Was he expecting me? No…or else he wouldn't have been that surprised. But, he was hoping I would show up…

I turned to see him locking the door—an action that I would usually find suspicious—but after seeing this part of town I filed it under as a wise precaution. But why, I wondered, was he even living here?

"Where's your family?" It struck me as strange that he was living this way: alone. He had mentioned his family multiple times during the show….Why wasn't he with them now?

He turned to me, surprise once again etched on his face before it turned solemn.

"I lost. During the last season that is…I lost the million dollars."

Um… what?

"And that's a problem because…?"

"It might be difficult for you to understand, but…_mi familia_… _mi hermano_…That loss caused shame to not just me—but to my family as well. Until I earn back my right to stay with them, I am destined to stay this way. It is not so bad; I have small financial support from my family, clothes, and a new opportunity to earn back my place by winning next season." Although he was smiling by the end of the dialogue, I could tell it was forced, not to mention his eyes were dull from sorrow—he was upset by his family's rejection wasn't he?

"That's…" I was going to comment on how idiotic his family was for having that sort of rule, but instead opted for a different approach, "That's… that's why you were trying so hard, isn't it? The fact that you come from a successful family…you had to prove yourself. It wasn't enough that you had smarts, you had to do something else too—and Total Drama was your answer, right?"

He stared blankly at me for a moment, speechless before cracking a wry smile and replying, "You're way too smart for your own good, _pequeñito_; you know that?

"So I've been told. And don't call me that would you? I realize that you…" I flushed, averting my eyes, "have a possible… attraction to me. But, I don't exactly… return the feelings." I was expecting a frown from that as I glanced back over at him, but was shocked to find that he was fitted with a smirk instead.

Frowning, I dared to ask, "What?"

"Oh nothing, Noah; nothing at all. _Nada._"

I deepened my frown at this response, deciding to not give him the satisfaction of a reply.

"Now then, you came here for a reason, didn't you? I apologize for cutting you off before. Would you like to share your ambitions now?"

I gulped slightly and nodded, gathering my thoughts and opening my mouth ready to list off the reasons I had made to justify my actions to come here. But, instead of what I had planned so carefully to tell him once I met him again, what came out was:

"I wanted to see you again."

* * *

**And so the real story begins... and with a cliffhanger no less! Sorry about that, but considering the goings on of the next chapter, I figured this was the best place to stop for now.**

** Also, on a side note, this story is currently just my raw writing with no beta to help me professionally edit it. So, if you're interested in being one for this particular story, please drop me a PM and I'll be glad to have you on board with the story!**

**Also, I apologize for this being a tad late. I just returned from a four day college visit with my family. I left Thursday morning, flying on two planes in order to reach my destination, and just returned tonight the same way. So, I hope you'll forgive me for this slight delay.**


	3. Chapter 2

After an awkward pause, Alejandro finally gave a smirk. Crossing his arms, he gazed down at the smaller boy who was currently frozen in shock of what he had just confessed.

"You missed me, Noah?"

Noah internally flinched, silently cursing his body for betraying him with its choice of words. Opening and closing his mouth a few times silently, he finally acknowledged the comment by rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and hesitantly starting to speak, his words getting calmer and stronger as he continued.

"Well…I mean… It's not like I wanted to see _you_ in particular… I just wanted to see if what you said in your letter was true—that you had changed. Or, at least, to have you prove to me that you can actually be trusted. Considering your actions during the last season, you can see why it's hard for me to trust you."

After another small period of silence, Alejandro sighed, nodding in agreement as he began to speak softly in reply.

"_Es cierto que…_It's true that I made the mistake of abandoning your trust in me by voting you off. Instead of thinking long term, I had only my current feelings in mind and I let them overwhelm my better judgment…but…" he smiled lightly, speaking more firmly, "But I intend to win back your trust, Noah. Seeing as you _did_ show up at my apartment, you must trust me at least a little bit. All you have to do is tell me how to prove myself to you," he moved forward to softly grab a surprised Noah's hands (whose eyes then widened at the action) in his own, "It does not matter which way you want to test my trustworthiness—I promise you that I will not fail," ending his speech, he pressed a tender kiss to the back of one of Noah's hands to seal his vow.

Trying to will down a small blush, thankfully well hidden against his dark skin, Noah shakily replied to the action by hesitantly pulling his hands out of Alejandro's warm grip.

"Ah…yeah…Sure…" Clearing his throat, he began again, "Whatever you want, Al. Just know that I'll be keeping a better watch on you. Don't think that I am oblivious to the fact that there'll be more seasons of Total Drama in the future. I _will_ be keeping that in mind as a reminder that you might just want me as a future alliance member. You could just be tricking me again in order for another chance at the million," he tried to ignore the mildly hurt look on Alejandro's face as he continued, "As was said before, you lost my trust in the last season. But…I…I…" as he hesitated, he couldn't help but notice Alejandro perking up slightly, "…I did promise to myself that I'd give you a second chance. It won't be on an entirely clean slate; but, just be happy I'm being this generous, alright?"

He would fiercely deny later that his heart skipped a beat when Alejandro tipped his chin up so that their eyes met and whispered charmingly to him:

"Oh, believe me. I am."

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, _whoa_. What are you thinking, dude! First, you actually meet up with the jerk, and now you're going to go on a date with him next week! What is _wrong_ with you? You're setting yourself up to get manipulated by the guy! Sure, okay, you went to see him—I didn't really think much would come of doing just that. But, then again, I thought you would do the sensible thing and see how much of a liar he was and then tell him off and then _leave_ and _that would be the end of the story_—Game Over—no more about him until the new season! But, you—you—you're just asking for trouble! I don't get you, man!"

Rolling his eyes, Noah frowned as Cody, once again, overreacted over the phone.

"It's not that big of a deal…—and," he continued before Cody could cut him off, "it's not a date. I told you before: it's simply a way to gauge how much I can trust him this early on. It won't be that much; but, I do need a starting point for this whole ordeal."

"He's taking you to a movie theater—it's a date."

"Well, where else do you propose we go that's relatively harmless?"

"Not there! Or…or anywhere! It's not too late to cancel, right?"

"…"

"Oh, _fine_. Jeez…I'm just trying to be helpful."

"Of course; that's why this conversation has been going nowhere fast, obviously."

"_Noah_."

"What-ever. Now could you give me some actual advice on where to go for this outing? Nothing is set in stone yet since I just told him that it'll be next Saturday—and no, that does not mean I will cancel it either. You're supposed to be the "expert" in this area—what place is good enough to convince you that it's not a date?"

"…umm…uhh…"

"Don't burst a brain cell there, Codester."

"…Not helping, Noah…. And...Umm…hmm…ah! I got it—the library! It's quiet; there are old librarians looking on at your every action—that way he can't try anything; plus it's really, really, _really,_ boring. It's the most unromantic place I can think of."

"…Gee…thanks."

"Hey, you should feel lucky. This way you can read those new books that just came in and you've been gushing over wanting to read—" "—I have not be—" "and you get to keep an eye on Al too," Cody stretched back in his chair on the other side of the phone, a boastful grin on his face, obviously proud of his solution.

"…Fair enough. I guess I don't have to spend my money this way either." There was a following silence over the other side of the phone, leaving Noah slightly concerned, "Cody? You still there…?"

"You mean Alejandro wasn't going to pay for you?" Noah sighed, exasperated at the insinuation.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's not a date. Period."

"To _you_—he probably sees it as one. And that breaks the gentleman's code: One must always pay for the girl that they're taking on a date."

"…I'm not a girl, Cody."

"You might as well be."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"You're the genius—you figure it out." He could practically hear Cody's smug grin on the other side of the phone.

Scowling as the tech geek hung up on him before he could reply, Noah closed his phone, frustrated. Just because he was skinnier and smaller than Alejandro didn't mean he was the girl, right? Wait… why was he even worrying about this? Like he told Cody multiple times—it was _not_ a date. It was strictly for testing Alejandro's trustworthiness. There was no way it could be confused for a date.

…Right?

* * *

It seemed that Cody was right after all; the library was relatively peaceful and relaxing on this Saturday afternoon. So much so that it seemed Noah had all but forgotten about Alejandro (who was currently reading a small detective novel, sitting beside the brainiac on one of the small couches that the library had provided); instead he seemed to be most concentrated on thumbing through a thick tome, eyes greedily lapping up the information that lay out before him on the thick paper.

Noah sighed contently, leaning back further into the plush material of the couch, as Alejandro glanced over to him in reply to the sound.

"I never would have suspected that someone would read about the philosophy of science and actually enjoy it." The comment caused Noah to grin slightly, a small chuckle escaping his lips—Alejandro smiling at this reaction. Though not a closely guarded secret, he loved it when Noah smiled and laughed genuinely. It was not very often that he was able to hear such a pleasing sound from his lips, and he considered it a treat that he, himself, was able to elicit such a reaction in the boy.

"I guess it's one of the advantages to having a large IQ. I find real life situations boring and drab because they're normally a repetition of something I have already experienced beforehand; so I don't have any interest in it. However, new information like this is enough to grab my attention and excite me to read more since I have little to no prior experience with it."

"I see… I guess that also explains your—" he frowned as a librarian abruptly shushed him for being too loud, so he continued on in a whisper, "…your own reasons for wanting to join the Total Drama series? Or perhaps I am mistaken in assuming that?"

"That's only part of it, actually," Noah glanced over at him, an eyebrow arching higher than usual at the Spaniard's inquiry.

"Oh? And what other reasons were there to influence your decision? You don't have to answer if it's personal, but…" He trailed off and looked to the other brunette. Noah sighed in response, marking his page in the book and placing it to the side before facing Alejandro.

"It's not a big secret. I thought it would've been fairly obvious," Alejandro looked puzzled at that response, so he continued, "Let's just say it's hard on the wallet when you have eight _other_ and older siblings who have attended, are attending, or will be attending college." He rolled his eyes at the blatant surprise etched on the taller boy's face.

"_Dios mío_, _pequeñito_—Noah," he quickly corrected himself at the other's light glare, "How do your parents expect to pay for all that?" The egghead shrugged in reply, picking up his book again as he turned to relax against the sofa.

"Good question." He frowned as Noah remained quiet after that, not deciding to delve deeper into the manner. However, after a moment of pondering the conversation he found a light smile playing on his lips.

"I never knew you could be so, for lack of a better term—giving—Noah," his smile grew into a smirk as Noah glanced at him, confused. He continued on, "Considering your level of intelligence, I hardly think that you'd worry about having to go to college, right? You could probably get a full ride for college from the different scholarships offered to you. Instead, you put yourself through all of Chris' plots and schemes just so that your siblings could go to college without exhausting your parents' money, no?" He had to suppress a chuckle as Noah frowned, turning his head away so that Alejandro couldn't see him flush indignantly at the accusation.

"Whatever you want to believe, _Al_," he smirked as he sneaked a glance to see the Spaniard wince at the nickname before continuing, "Besides, I do have my own selfish reasons. I'm not that much of a people lover."

"Naturally—being too giving doesn't suit you anyway."

"Obviously," the brunette scoffed, turning his full attention back on his book again, thinking the conversation was finally over. However, as the prolonged silence went on he came to realize something he hadn't noticed during the conversation. Sometime during the exchange, Alejandro's arm came to rest across the back of the couch, probably from turning to face him so it was easier to talk—and now it was still lingering there. It surprised him that he hadn't even noticed the exchange…it just felt…natural.

He scowled to himself, frustrated at the thought, and opened his mouth to ask Alejandro to stop invading his personal space. But, it seemed his body was still in a traitorous mood like last week and decided that Noah wasn't going to object at all—for he couldn't force himself to make a single protest against the act. Closing his mouth at last, he simply deepened his scowl and huffed somewhat, deciding to let it go this time. After all, he had probably just forgotten to remove his arm—no one should find it suspicious in the least—especially since the close proximity was _not_ causing him to blush. At all.

* * *

Time seemed to pass slower after the trip to the library, leaving Noah wondering since when he became concerned with how slow or fast time seemed to go by. He had just met up with Cody again, who had come into town a few days after for a technology convention a couple of towns over, and was slightly annoyed to find out that the other teen had decided that he and Alejandro were dating—and continually expressing that he didn't approve. It was more than a little grating on Noah's nerves; but, it was still amusing and somewhat touching to see how much his friend cared about his well being... even if it meant annoying him almost constantly about the subject. It had even gotten so bad that the egghead didn't even see the point of reminding the other that _he wasn't even dating Alejandro_—nor would he ever for that matter!

After a few unsuccessful attempts on trying to change the subject to something _other_ than the Spaniard, he finally decided to humor the other, retaliating when Cody asked what he saw in the other.

"I think any of the girls last season could have answered that question for you, Cody."

"Yeah, but still—he's like a second Justin: The girls adore him; but, you and I know both know that he's a jerk. You even call him your 'anti-me'. Alejandro's the same way, and you know it." Noah furrowed his brow at the accusation. Sure, he had first thought that upon finally meeting the new contestant. The only immediate difference he could tell was that Alejandro actually knew how to use his brain. However, after working on the same team together he came to notice that, while he did use his looks to charm the other contestants, he wasn't overly obsessed about his looks like Justin. In fact, he tended to use his brain over relying on them—thinking multiple steps ahead to try and thwart the other participants. Plus, over the course of the season he had even proved that he had a…personality. That was where he and Justin differed.

"Well… I guess that kind of makes sense," he turned to see Cody shrug, looking thoughtful. Huh… he must have been thinking out loud, unconsciously.

"Of course it does," he scoffed, "Did you really think I would give a second chance to someone I considered another 'anti-me'?"

"Well…I guess not," he rubbed the back of his head, hesitantly, "But… that still doesn't change the fact he's a villain! You even admitted that he was manipulating others so that he could win!" He rolled his eyes at Cody's outburst, sighing lightly.

"While I don't approve of his tactics, just trying to win the million dollars doesn't automatically make him a villain. And, no, I'm not saying that he was completely justified in all that he did during the show; I just think that there might be a different side to him—one that isn't associated with manipulation in order to win. And I'm trying to see if my hunch is correct through giving him this second chance."

"I still think he's trying to manipulate you," Cody frowned, "You can never be too careful around people like him. You give them an inch of your trust and they'll use it to their advantage and then turn on you."

"I don't recall you being this against him during the show," the taller brunette retaliated, frowning in reply.

"That's because I wasn't aware what he was up to—he was manipulating me too. Now that I do know, it's only natural that I'd be suspicious of him. And stop defending him, would you? You keep saying you aren't interested in him—but when you stand up for him like this, it's hard to believe otherwise." Noah frowned deeper at this.

"Just trying to explain my points as to why I'm doing this doesn't mean I want to be with the guy. I wouldn't have to if you just trusted me on this." Cody crossed his arms and…oh please, is that a pout? The tech geek mumbled under his breath, and, while the brainiac was irritated enough to normally inquire what Cody had said, he let it go this time. After he finally was able to see the shorter brunette after several months, he wasn't looking forward to having a fight with him over Alejandro.

...That came out wrong.

Regardless, they were drenched in a thick silence until the intercom in the convention center courteously reminded them about the seminar in the main hall at 6:30 for some new technological device.

"Did you want to attend this one as well, Codester?" Noah motioned his head toward the swarm of people flocking toward the hall so that they could get good seats.

"Nah, I'm not that interested in GPS applications," he shrugged, "Besides, it's only for GPSs in cars; and, my parents insist that they drive me almost everywhere. So it would just be a waste of money to get one, let alone listen to everything that they offer."

"Your parents are still chauffeuring you around?" Noah raised a brow further on his head, amused. Cody had gotten his license a few months ago; but, apparently that didn't mean his parents let him drive any more than before. The smaller teen sighed, crossing his arms as they walked over to a few chairs that had been recently evacuated with the rush to the seminar, sitting down across from the other.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But it's hard to argue against my parents—especially when Mom makes sure to express her worry that I'll get a car crash and says that 'she can't bear to lose her little ray of sunshine' any time soon," he complained. Noah tried to suppress his amusement, though failed horribly as he eventually erupted in a fit of snickers.

"It's not funny, Noah!" This only furthered his bout of laughter, holding his stomach as he saw the other boy pout and huff indignantly in response. After he finally calmed himself sufficiently enough, Noah rested his elbow on the armrest, holding his head in his hand, grinning wildly at the other.

"To you maybe; but, it's hard not to laugh at your situation. No offense, of course, but you can be a pushover when it comes to your parents."

"Whatever, dude. You don't get to drive either," he retaliated. The darker skinned boy rolled his eyes in reply, flipping his hair out of his face.

"Only because I don't have my own car _and_ because the insurance would cost too much if I drove my sisters' car," he frowned.

"Yeah…I know. Sorry about that, dude; I just get worked up about not getting enough freedom from my parents," he sighed, apologizing to the other as he drummed his fingers on the chair, hesitantly.

"What-ever, not like it bothers me," Noah shrugged, nonchalantly. He was used to the tech geek's complaints of his parents. Though he was spoiled by his parents since he was an only child, his parents didn't give him hardly enough freedom so that he'd be ready for the real world when he was older. The fact that he was able to compete in the Total Drama series was in many ways a miracle.

There was another heavy silence surrounding the two before Cody cleared his throat again.

"Well… there's not another seminar I want to attend until 9:00, soooo… Want to grab a bite to eat? There should be some restaurants close by the convention center and there's a bus station close by. I'll pay, I promise!" Noah lightly smirked at the other.

"Now I see the reason why you're against Alejandro," Noah jokingly said. He continued as Cody blinked at the other, puzzled, "After inviting me out on a dinner date, it's quite obvious." He couldn't help but laugh again as the smaller boy sputtered at him, unintelligibly.

"Dude! Th-that's not—! I'm not—!" He continued to gape at the other, trying to form a complete sentence in order to deny the claims. Noah grinned at the other, laughing lightly as he stood up, stretching.

"I was just joking, Casanova. Now, let's get going already," he offered a hand to the other. Cody begrudgingly took it, sticking his tongue out at the other as Noah laughed in reply.

* * *

**And now things have started to move along quite nicely, don't you find? Also, this story still does not have a beta-reader. So if anyone still wants the job, it's open. **

**And thanks again for all the wonderful reviews! I'm so glad all you are enjoying it so far, and I hope you will continue to enjoy it.**

**Another note: The next chapter is not completely typed out yet, so I can't guarantee that I'll have a new page out for you next week on Sunday. That said, I'll still try my best to get it in on time or soon after. Anyway, thanks again for reading this installment! I hope to see you next time!**


	4. Chapter 3

Alejandro sat stiffly in the small wooden chair, watching his boss pace in front of him, irritated. His boss was a middle aged man—with trim, dark brown hair and eyes to match. He was of middle stature, bordering on tall, but just slightly too small to be considered so. He was wearing a worn, black suit with matching black pants that rippled when he walked. His black, leather loafers made a quiet _tak-tak_ sound as he crossed the floor, his chin tucked down as he stared at the wood flooring intently. Raising his head finally, he stopped in front of the teen, slowly turning to face him.

"Alejandro. Explain to me why you have been requesting work off so often."

Al shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the question, shifting his eyes to the side before replying, hesitantly.

"Ah… well, I've been busy lately sir—"

"—Too busy to help your new 'Family'?" The tan teen remained silent at the accusation, causing his boss to continue, "Don't forget, Alejandro, if it weren't for me, you would still be stuck in that machine. If I recall correctly, you needed my money to help with those… expenses. Do I not recall—Look. At. Me. Alejandro—Do I not recall correctly?"

"Yes sir…" he shifted his eyes back to the ground guiltily, bowing his head.

"So, are you not in my debt? Shouldn't you be jumping at every opportunity to make it up to me? Doesn't that make sense to you?"

"…yes sir. It does, sir."

"So, why then—I ask you—why are you too busy to repay your debt, hm? What's causing you to shirk your work, Alejandro!"

Al raised his head to protest.

"Sir, I've only asked for two days off—"

"—and now you're asking for a third! For the third week in a row, nonetheless!" Alejandro flinched in his seat, bowing his head submissively again with a light sigh. "What's going on Alejandro? You've only been part of the family for a few months… what's going on in that mind of yours?"

"It's…" he hesitated before the boss motioned for him to go on impatiently, "…the same reason why I asked you for your help in the first place."

"Your reason, huh? This is news to me. Do go on; what is this so-called 'reason'?" Alejandro hesitated, drumming his fingers against his jean-clad thigh tensely before making eye-contact once again.

"…A lost love that I'm also trying to repay my debt to."

"…Is that so? And who is this broad that thinks she can encroach on my family, huh? What's her name, what does she look like?" Alejandro frowned at the derogatory term, eyes flaring up with defiance for a second before calming again.

"There is no 'broad', sir."

"What are you talking about, Alejandro? You just confessed to me that you've been playing hooky with this lost 'love'—or whatever you called her— of yours instead of working."

Alejandro wordlessly pulled out his wallet and thumbed through the pockets. Eventually, he pulled pulling out a slightly charred piece of paper, handing it over to his boss. It was a page he saved from his last passport; the one he rescued from the fire that Heather had built. Thankfully, the fire had not consumed the vital information he needed to find the boy—including a small photo of him in the upper corner.

"His name is Noah, sir."

His boss glanced over to the Spaniard silently after staring long and hard at the photo.

"Are you serious, Alejandro? You're not just pulling my leg, are you?"

"No sir; I'm very serious, sir."

He turned his gaze back to the photo, tapping the back of the paper a few times in thought before returning his attention back to the teen.

"Don't let this boy interfere with your job, Alejandro," he handed the slip of paper back to him, "This will be the last day off you'll have for a month—and," he cut off Alejandro, who was opening his mouth to protest, "don't try to argue this. You're lucky that I'm giving you this day off—even luckier that I'm allowing you to see this "Noah" boy. My decision is final," he walked back over behind his desk to sit in his chair, leaning back and lacing his fingers together, "Understand?"

"…Understood, sir."

"Good; now get out of my office."

Alejandro stood from his chair, bowing lightly with his hand over his heart for a show of respect, before turning to open the door to leave.

"—and Alejandro…"

He turned to look back at his boss.

"Remember my warning. Don't let that boy interfere with the family… or else there will be trouble—for both you _and_ him."

"…I understand, sir," he then exited the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

The boss sighed, moving a hand to rub the bridge of his nose. He didn't like to have to involve a minor in his business just because one of his family members held some affection for him. However, it if meant that it was for the good of the family for this boy to get in an… '_accident_'… then there was no other choice; he would do what he had to do. He could only hope that the teen would be wise enough to pay heed to his warning.

* * *

It turns out that Noah did decide to go to the movies with Alejandro on the next outing, despite Cody's warnings about it. He figured that if the other was planning to harm him, then he would have done so at the apartment where there was no audience watching them.

Plus, he had been hoping to see the new movie release. And, since no one in his family liked science fiction except for him, it was hard to find a ride to the movie theater. So when Alejandro informed him that, while his car wasn't in the best shape (bought off a cheap, used car lot), it would be good enough to drive them to the theater and back, he couldn't help but be mildly excited.

Nevertheless, he was still wary about the whole 'car' experience and made sure to be alert while they drove to the theater. However the paranoia wasn't needed, for they arrived there safely, nothing suspicious transpiring between the two.

This lead to the current situation: the dreaded ticket line.

Noah shifted from one foot to the other, already bored with the slow service. Letting out a slow sigh, he stepped forward as the line gradually got shorter. After another small pause and a scowl from the Indian boy, he turned to the tall teen, "Do you mind if I stand in the line for popcorn? I can give you money for my ticket…"

Alejandro glanced at the other, smiling lightly as he replied, "You can stand in line if you'd like, but there's no need to spend any of your money—I'm paying for everything. Consider today to be my treat."

"…Seriously?" Noah blinked, disbelievingly. The guy didn't even have that much money... why would he…?

"Of course. What sort of gentleman would I be if I broke our sacred code?"

Sacred code…? Gentleman…gentleman's… code…

'…_gentleman's code: One must always pay for the girl that they're taking on a date.'_

Oh no… no, no, no, no. No.

"Um… that's really not necessary—I have my own money! Plus you're on a tight budget, so—" He tried to argue his way out of this situation, but Alejandro cut him off.

"I insist, Noah. It's my treat; I was the one who suggested that we see a movie, no? Besides, it's the least I can do for you accepting my invitation."

He opened his mouth to object again; but, Alejandro was already pushing at his back, ushering him to 'go and get some refreshments,' placing a crisp twenty in his hand. He had no choice but to do so, glancing back over at the other teen as he entered the line for popcorn.

Was that a look of accomplishment on Alejandro's face? _'Of course it is; because you didn't object to his offer. Now he thinks that you also recognize this as a date. He's probably ecstatic.'_ He mentally groaned at the thought, kicking it to the back of his mind to die quietly.

Besides, even if Al thought it was a date, if he made his own intentions clear then the other would have to accept them…He hoped.

Trying to ignore the temptation to dwell farther into the subject, Noah instead went through the concessions line. He contemplated for awhile and finally decided that it would be cheaper for Alejandro if they both shared a large tub of popcorn. Even though Alejandro had freely given him money, he was still wary of his financial problem. Any money saved the better.

By the time he had gotten through the line, ordering the large popcorn and two soft drinks, Alejandro had finished purchasing their tickets. Walking over to the smaller boy, he handed him his ticket and ushered him over to the admission counter. After handing over their tickets and finding seats near the back, Noah sighed contently as the previews started to play.

* * *

The movie itself contained a very complex plot, making it hard to follow along for those who had left for a bathroom break or had dozed off at any time during the viewing. However, this seemed to prove no problem for Noah. The bookworm was currently absorbed in the film, hardly daring to blink. Alejandro smiled to himself, amused at just how into the movie the teen had gotten. He had assumed that someone like Noah would enjoy science fiction movies; but, he had never imagined it would be to this extent.

He had quit watching the movie awhile ago, finding that Noah's expressions to the scenes were too adorable to pass up in favor of some movie—no matter how amazing Noah might have thought it was. Hey, he had paid for all this; he might as well spend it how he pleased. Glancing over briefly to the screen, trying to see what Noah found so enthralling about it (he could use this knowledge for later trips they might plan), he moved his hand to grab some popcorn. However, just as he grabbed a handful, he felt a warm presence placed above his hand.

Huh?

Looking down to the tub of popcorn, he blinked once before recognizing that his hand was covered with another tanned hand. He followed the arm that the hand belonged to up to the surprised/shocked eyes of Noah who had also take notice of their situation.

"Ah… sorry," Noah pulled back his hand slowly, silently thankful that the movie theater was so dark. He wouldn't know what to say if the other was able to spot his newly acquired blush.

Alejandro was silent for a few moments longer before cracking a small smirk, "No problem, Noah. Though, I thought I was supposed to be the one courting you; not the other way around?"

Noah opened his mouth wordlessly at this, trying to think of a coherent response.

…Why did it seem like the Spaniard always seemed to leave him in these situations? Oh yeah, because the teen was apparently attracted to him—as he just kindly reminded him not two seconds ago.

Closing his mouth silently, he sheepishly sunk back into his cushy theater seat, trying to return his attention back to the movie. However, it was hard to focus on much of anything with his head buzzing with conflicted thoughts and feelings and…

Wait, wait… Stop right there. Feelings? That was just… just… Did he really just deduce that he might have…_feelings_ for the other?

He gulped slightly, trying to relieve his quickly drying throat, "I…I'll be right back."

But he didn't give Alejandro anytime to reply as he quickly dashed off to the bathroom, leaving the confused and concerned Spaniard behind.

Opening an empty handicap stall, he hurried locked it and then sank against the smooth, tiled wall behind him. Leaning his head back against the wall, he closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. This was not going to plan in the slightest.

Didn't he resolve from the beginning that he wouldn't develop anything romantic for the other? They would just be friends at the most. That was the restriction he had for himself.

But, now…

There was no denying that he felt nervous around the older boy—though not necessarily in a bad way. It was more of anticipation…for what, he wasn't so sure. But if the butterfly feeling in his stomach was anything to go by, it was something caused by his stupid, teenage hormones.

Then again, if it was just hormones, then it would quickly pass by. It wasn't that Noah was afraid of being attracted to another guy—he had accepted himself as gay a few years back. But, the Spaniard was someone dangerous to engage in such feelings with. There was no expecting when his next lie would be revealed—even if everything he did before was only because of the competition. Yet, one could never be too cautious when messing with Alejandro.

He raised his hands to massage his temples lightly, trying to soothe his incoming headache.

How was he going to fix this?

He doubted that he could get rid of these feelings anytime soon; but, there had to be some plan of action he could follow, right? Though out of the options he had, there didn't seem to be any that would work that well.

On one hand, he could just altogether ignore Alejandro and never associate with him again. But, he doubted he could keep that up forever—not to mention that during times of increased absence, feelings usually incubate and grow stronger. So that was definitely not the best choice.

The other logical option he had was to keep seeing the teen. He could try to convince himself that the other was not good boyfriend material while simultaneously trying to learn the truth about him. It was still a difficult path; but, as long as Alejandro didn't find out about his feelings, then he would be fine.

Having a small crush on the other couldn't be that bad, right?

* * *

"I won't be able to see you for awhile, Noah."

The addressed teen raised a brow in reply, glancing over at the other whose eyes were currently focused on the road ahead of them.

After he had decided that he was done hiding from the other, Noah had promptly exited the restroom and joined the taller teen back in the movie theater. Alejandro, though he had been concerned, had decided not to interrogate him about the cause—lest he push the teen way even further away. Instead, he decided on his own that the reaction was due to him being so straight forward. This lead to him making a vow to restrain himself until the other brunette was more comfortable around him.

The two had finished the film with an awkward tension filling the air—caused by two completely different reasons. And now they were driving back toward Noah's house in the Spaniard's car.

"How long consists of awhile?"

"A month, at the least."

"…a month?" The teal eyed teen nodded in confirmation to the question, prompting Noah to narrow his eyes and continue with another interrogation, "Any specific reason?"

"My work—I'll be extremely busy because of it. This was the last day I'll have free until the month is up." Noah continued to look at Alejandro skeptically.

"What sort of job doesn't let you have weekends off? Or, on top of that, refuses a single day off for at least a month?" This just smelt suspicious…

"You'd be surprised…"

Noah frowned deeply at the answer, suspicions rising higher, "Is that the truth…?"

Alejandro opened his mouth to confirm, "Yes, I assure you th—"

"…Or are you just trying to get rid of me for a month?" Noah ended with a scowl, crossing his arms.

Alejandro's eyes widened at the accusation, slamming on the breaks and pulling off to the shoulder of the road. Noah yelped at the sudden deceleration, hanging on to the arm rests until the car fully stopped, inertia pushing him back into the car seat. He looked at the other, annoyed and ready to complain about the reaction; but, the words quickly died in his throat when he saw the forlorn look on the driver's face as he turned off the car.

"Noah… what brought on that question?" The egghead blinked a few times before he steadily gazed at the other again, annoyed again.

"Well, if you'd just be honest with me, I wouldn't have to come to such conclusions."

The taller teen sighed lightly, "I am being honest with you—" he cut off the other, who had opened his mouth to deny the statement, by continuing, "My work is causing me to not be able to see you… no matter how much I might want to."

"Then, if you're being completely honest with me, answer me this: Why? Why are they refusing you a day or two off? …N-not that I want to know because I particularly want to see you again so soon… but, to find out if you're just messing with me again. So, if you're not, then answer me: Why?"

After a small pause, Alejandro brushed a hand through his hair hesitantly, his eyes full of uncertainty as he replied, "Because I still have a debt to pay…" he let out a forced chuckle, "Surgery doesn't just pay for itself, no?"

Noah stared at the other, confused, before comprehension suddenly dawned on his face. Now that he thought about it, the other brunette's injuries sustained from the finale had been quite severe and near permanent… but… "But… shouldn't Chris have paid for that? Those injuries were caused by _his_ show after all."

"The contract he had me under nullified that obligation. And, since my family didn't particularly favor paying for my mistake, I have that duty to fulfill," Alejandro drummed his fingers upon the steering wheel idly, eyes slipping shut, "And now, since I have not the money to pay for it myself, I have to repay someone else. And because I now work under said person, it is hard to come up with excuses why I shouldn't be working toward repaying him."

He let his eyes open again, wearily glancing over to the other, "Is that an acceptable enough answer for you, Noah?"

The brown-eyed teen paused, his gaze softening before moving his head to look through the adjacent window in order to avoid eye contact, "…Yeah… whatever. Just hurry up and drive me home now, would you? I promised my parents I would be back in time for dinner."

Alejandro smiled lightly after a pause, firing the engine back up.

"As you wish."

* * *

**Also, to all my readers out there; I'm afraid I'll have to put this fic on a short hiatus—though I hope it doesn't last that long. It's caused by just two things:**

**First of all, though I do think my grammar is pretty okay, I do need better help—since I'm not spectacular with it. Therefore, I now have the lovely Graces of the Child helping me with the more technical work. I expect that she will do a wonderful job and I appreciate her volunteering to help me with such a large project. She has also offered to help with the second thing causing this temporary hiatus.**

**That would be the fact that I've hit a small road bump—and now I have a bit of writer's block. I know where I want the story to go, don't worry; I just need help thinking of how to reach the next checkpoint in my story. I will not be abandoning this story though; I refuse to do so. You have my word.**


	5. Chapter 4

I don't remember just exactly how this whole mess of a day happened. It started off innocently enough, a snowy yet calm Saturday in late March. I had just woken up about an hour earlier and started playing Kosmic Kaos, content to spend my Saturday lazing around the house.

I should've known it would never last.

A ring of the door bell was innocent enough; yet the deep mumbling of the stranger downstairs at the door seemed so familiar. However, with so many relatives, I had just assumed it was another of my uncles or older cousins coming to visit. That was my first mistake.

"Noah! You have a visitor!"

I hesitated and frowned as my mother's voice came upstairs cheerfully. That was certainly odd enough—usually my relatives were here to visit the entire family, not just me. However, I just shrugged it off and yelled down that I would be there in a moment. That was my second mistake.

I lazily stood up from my spot by the TV and paused my game. Stopping by my bathroom, I ran a comb through my messy hair before heading down the stairs in my pajamas toward the front door.

"Yeah, Mom? Who is—?"

I froze, blinked at the young man at the door, eyes widening, in recognition and disbelief.

"He says his name is Alejandro and that he's a friend from school!"

I resisted the urge to hit my head against the wall. Of _course_ my mom would have no idea who Al was. With so many children of their own, plus nephews and nieces to look after on occasion, my parents never watched me on Total Drama. Not that I particularly wanted them to see me be exploited on that dreadful show anyway.

"Yes, Mom, I know who he is," I answered through gritted teeth, letting her know that she could return to whatever she was previously doing. Based on the smell, it seemed like she was trying to cook something again (emphasis on trying).

Sighing as she left, I returned my attention to him, as he closed the door shut behind him, trying to hide a smile of amusement. I scowled at him, raising an eyebrow and glaring.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

He let a few chuckles escape as he took a few steps forward, ruffling my hair affectionately—he needs to stop touching me like that.

"Nothing, Noah—I was just thinking about how cute you look in your sleepwear." He smiled at me as I waved off his hand from my hair, ignoring the statement and trying to look insulted.

"Yeah, yeah…" I paused, trying to fix my hair which was currently in disarray, before speaking again, "So what are you here for? I know it's been a month, but you could have given me a warning or something before showing up. Or you could have just not have shown up at my house at all and talked to my _mother_ of all people." Don't get me wrong—I love my parents. It's just…to have _him_ talk to them is just… what if he said something?

"Aww… embarrassed, _pequeñito_?" I flushed at the accusation though tried not to let it show on my face, keeping my usual apathetic expression.

"No… and I thought I told you not to call me that."

"I was hoping you had forgotten after all this time, to be honest." I crossed my arms, not amused, as he laughed lightly. "Would you prefer I call you something else, Noah?"

"Noah is fine." There was no way I would let him give me a pet name.

"Mm… It _is_ a nice name—but I prefer to nickname those close to me. And you are in need of one."

'No I'm not, I'm not close to you, don't be affectionate with me' is what I would have liked to say to him. Instead, I opted for simply rolling my eyes sarcastically.

"Whatever you say, Al."

He simply smiled in reply, shrugging his shoulders as he waved a hand dismissively, "I'm sure I'll come up with one eventually. But that's not what I'm here for. I thought that I might surprise you with an invitation to accompany me to the park on this fine day. It's the least I could do as an apology for my absence during the past month. What say you, Noah?"

Although I hate to admit it, the invitation was tempting. While I had no qualms with being lazy all day and playing my favorite games until dawn, it did get repetitive when that's how one spends nearly every weekend. Sad, yes, but it's the truth, and I was looking for a bit of change I suppose.

However, that didn't mean I couldn't be at least a _little_ skeptical of this whole ordeal.

"And what did you have planned for the park exactly?" Al seemed to perk up a bit at this, seeming to think I was curious instead of suspicious.

"Well, I was thinking just a stroll to start off with to admire the early signs of spring. And then maybe a small picnic afterward? I know the perfect place for such an occasion."

Oh. It _was_ very tempting.

I let my gaze travel over to the kitchen where my mother had fled. My nose caught a whiff of something indescribable… now it seemed even more tempting.

"I'll be back in a moment. I have to let my folks now I'll be gone for a few hours," I briefly saw his face start to light up with happiness and quickly turned back around, walking toward the kitchen. That was my third mistake.

I had seen Alejandro smile before, but not like that, and usually at Heather or Courtney or whatever girl he was trying to charm. While I could deny the weird feeling I got from the sight, I couldn't deny that I wanted to see that smile again. And that fact scared me – why would I want to see him happy, smiling at me like that?

"Hey, Mom?" I entered the kitchen where my mother was in the process of burning down the house. I quickly opened a nearby window so that the smoke could waft outside.

"Yes, honey?" My mother replied, pausing in her action of frying something unidentifiable. "Something wrong?"

"Not really. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be gone for a few hours." She seemed to perk up at this, interested. It helped that I didn't go out too often, especially with guys my own age.

"Oh? Where are you going? Did your nice friend invite you to hang out?" I couldn't help but amusedly smile at my mother's attempt to use slang.

"We're just going to the park. And, yes, Alejandro did invite me. I just wanted to let you know not to save a serving of..." I looked over to the skillet, which was now catching on fire, "whatever you're preparing for lunch for me."

"Okay, sweety," she pulled me in to kiss my forehead, hugging me closely while ignoring my protests. "Be safe. And be sure to turn off your videogame before you leave." I sighed lightly.

"'Kay mom…"

I exited the kitchen and was about to make the detour to my room, but bumped into Alejandro who was just beyond the doorway. A sense of dread overtook me as it was apparent he was trying to hide an amused laugh.

"What videogame were you playing before I got here?" I blanched.

"You were eavesdropping on me?" I scowled at him and scaled the stairs to reach my room, Alejandro on my heels.

"I was simply acquainting myself farther with your comfortable home and happened to overhear your conversation is all. It just so happened that your conversation interested me—a little curiosity never hurts, no?" Yes. Yes it does. But I restrained myself from saying this, simply saving my game and turning off the console and TV, ignoring the other by putting on an apathetic front.

He seemed to notice this and frowned, eyes showing signs of remorse.

"Noah…" I simply rolled my eyes in annoyance and pushed him outside my room so I could change.

Once finished, I opened the door, to him trying profusely to apologize about the invasion of privacy. I just silenced him with a nonchalant wave of my hand.

"Whatever. Let's just go—you owe me free food, remember?" He sighed and nodded dutifully after a moment, following me back downstairs and out the front door silently.

The ride over happened similarly, the two of us drenched in an awkward silence and neither willing to break it. We finally reached the park and Alejandro grabbed the lunch basket out from the trunk, tucking it safely underneath his left arm.

"Ready, Noah?"

"I guess." I shrugged in reply, looking at the entrance to the park with a bored expression. I could hear him sigh lightly in response and, just like that, our stroll through the square commenced.

It wasn't a bad day for a walk at all, like Alejandro had mentioned. The grass was turning green again, leaves covering branches again, and the sky was clear. However, all of these points seemed to be meaningless when compared to the fact that the awkward silence between us seemed to be steadily building with every minute. And I could tell it was slowly driving Alejandro crazy.

Although I wasn't doing much better.

"Noah…" I nearly jumped as his voice cut through the quiet. I let out a small grunt of acknowledgement, waiting for him to continue.

"…I'm sorry."

"…I told you before: its fine. I don't particularly care," I shrugged, brushing off the topic. However, his eyebrows furrowed as he assessed me critically, eyes trying to make some meaningful contact—something I won't allow.

"But, you do," he continued before I could open my mouth to deny it, "You're upset that I overstepped my boundaries when I had no right to. Isn't that right?" I remained silent, glancing over him as a sign for him to go on.

He did after a moment, turning his head to look forward again and starting up hesitantly, "What I said before was the truth. I was curious. But, it wasn't because I wanted to embarrass you… it's just… I was so curious what… a real family acted like. I suppose the temptation overcame me and I ended up crossing into a region that was off-limits to me in the first place. I'm just…I'm sorry." He remained silent after that, frowning lightly as he gazed at the horizon line.

Oh. I had nearly forgotten about how his family was. So it was logical to think that when he had seen how my mother was…

Yet, it disturbed me how I had overreacted about it. What was it about Alejandro that caused such a change in me? I swallowed thickly at the thought.

Trying not to succumb to my inner worries and burst out in sympathy, I looked over to Alejandro, who was still waiting for an answer with bated breath.

"You could have told me that before, _tonto_." I hid a smile as I replied, though the tone of my voice gave away my enjoyment at seeing his confidence being subdued. It was gratifying to know that he wasn't as perfect as he tried to make everyone believe. It made him seem human, relatable, even …endearing.

Oh God. I did _not _just think that.

While I was mentally strangling the inner workings of my mind, I failed to notice Alejandro loom closer to me. And by then it was too late to do anything before I was enveloped in a warm embrace.

I let out a small shout, trying to squirm in the hold, "Hey! What are you—!"

"Thank you." I blinked, my yells being cut off by that small whisper. I stopped struggling and frowned lightly, leaning unconsciously into the hug.

"What-ever. I was just trying to get you to shut up about it; there's no reason to thank me." He chuckled softly, a sound that caused heat to rise to my face.

"But, I do. I thought I had lost all of your trust again. It is so comforting to know for once that I am mistaken." He squeezed tighter for a moment before releasing me, and I stumbled slightly from the change. Correcting my posture, I proceeded to brush imaginary dirt from my clothes and scoffed.

"Good for you. Can we get back to our walk now?"

"As you wish, Noah." He took a hold of my left hand and pulled me forward in an upbeat pace, catching me by surprise as I jolted forward from the force. "Besides, I believe that lunch time is creeping up on us. It would be a nice time for that picnic, no_?_ And I have yet to show you that perfect place I mentioned—that is something I must correct this instant."

"Fine! Just… slow down!"

* * *

Noah was panting and out of breath when they finally arrived at the specified location, and needed a minute once Alejandro finally released him. However, when he finally raised his head to take in the scenery, Noah had to admit that he was not disappointed in the slightest.

There was a small pond off the beaten path, surrounded by the blooming trees which formed a horseshoe around the water. The open part of this was a small field that he was currently standing in, with a few lone picnic tables scattered about. And although Noah was not a nature enthusiast, he couldn't help but find the way the leaves were reflecting off the surface of the clear pond was simply… wow.

Allowing himself a small smile, he turned to find Alejandro setting up their lunch on a nearby picnic table. He walked over and waited for the taller teen to finish unpacking before taking a plate and sitting opposite of the other. Taking a quick look over the expanse of food, he couldn't help but smirk.

"Is Spanish food the only type of food you can eat, Alejandro?" He laughed quietly, seeing the other boy grin sheepishly.

The dishes were arranged before them, displaying the different types of Spanish cuisine the other had cooked for their outing. Noah was able to recognize a few of the dishes such as the traditional paella and flan, but also noticed a canister of soup and a plate full of some fried and breaded food (which Alejandro later explained to him were called _"Caldo Gallego"_ and _"croquetas"_ respectively).

"I apologize if it is not to your liking, but…"

"It's fine. I'm up to trying new things," he assured the other, taking a bit of the paella. "Did you cook all of this?"

The other brunette nodded in response, "_Sí_, I wanted to make this picnic as enjoyable as possible. Besides, doesn't the saying go that 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach'?" He said this jokingly, chuckling a bit as Noah groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Forget the prospect of me complimenting you now that you've said that," he grumbled before eating a forkful of the dish.

Wow, this was…

…_really_ good.

Noah couldn't help the content purrs that reverberated through his throat at the taste, savoring the taste as he swallowed the food.

"I think that's all the compliment I need," Alejandro quickly looked up at his very pleased companion, currently smirking at him, "Glad to know you enjoy it, Noah."

He willed down a small flush as he scoffed, "Don't let it get to your head. It's only because I hardly get anything edible at home anyway." Al chuckled before swallowing a spoonful of his soup.

The plates diminished slowly thereafter, until eventually even the plate of flan left for dessert was completely devoured. Noah leaned back, bracing an arm against the picnic bench as he sighed, satisfied and full up. When was the last time he had eaten so much nice food? He had almost forgotten how nice it felt. He glanced over to Alejandro who was picking up the empty plates and containers and placing them back into the basket.

"Do you normally have such hefty meals?" Al looked up at the inquiry, blinking once before smiling.

"Not usually," he paused to place the basket next to him on the bench, "Only on special occasions. That's how it goes for most people and their families too, no?"

"We're not family," Noah mentally winced at how sharp and cold that came out, but the other teen didn't seem visibly rattled. He wondered if maybe he had expected that response, a thought that caused a small pang of guilt to form in his chest.

"Perhaps not, but I still felt it to be an appropriate occasion," the other shrugged before standing up and picking up the basket. He paused for a moment to look up at the sun's position before looking back to Noah, a hand extended, "It appears to be getting later in the day. I should probably drive you back home soon."

Noah also stood up, brushing off invisible dust from him, "Eh… I guess. You didn't have anything else planned, right?"

"No, not for today; I—" Alejandro's sentence was sharply cut off as the echo of a gunshot reverberated through the air.

They both froze as more bullets rang through the silence accompanied by a few yells.

After a few more moments, Alejandro bolted toward the noise, yelling to Noah to stay put; however he was too scared and frozen to move, incredulously before the weight of the situation caught up with him. There was a barrage of bullets and…and Alejandro was running right towards it. That…that _idiot_!

Ignoring the command to stay put, Noah ran off in the direction of the other, not stopping until he caught a glimpse of someone in black running past him. He had to take a few steps back to steady himself from the sudden obstruction and looked back at the black blur. He tensed again when felt before he heard two gunshots whizzing by him. A sharp cry cut through the air as the black blur moved a hand to cover an ear, blood seeping through its fingers as it stumbled, latching on to some sort of case.

Noah didn't have any time to comment before another blur came forth, this time orange, and tackled the one in black to the ground.

"Just where do you think you're going, silly beans? I told you before—you owe us a lot of money! What's in that suitcase will do nicely!" Why did that voice sound so familiar? Noah inched forward unconsciously, trying to get closer to the scene.

"N-no! You can't! I need that to—" The voice was cut off as the other stepped harshly on the captive's right arm, the other leg painfully kneeing him in the back.

"You're so silly, Mister I-owe-the-family-a-lot-of-money. Ha-ha, hey, I like that name!" The red head continued to chatter, while pulling out a gun and holding it to the captive's head, moving the other hand to pin down the arm which grasped the silver case.

"P-please…I-I'll pay you back some other time I just—" the whimper was cut off as the other hit the back of the other's head with the gun, effectively knocking the captive out. The red-head hummed happily as she grabbed the case from the limp hand.

"There we go! Huh…that was easy!"

"Izzy!" The redhead looked up, toward the sound as Noah also turned in shock to see a familiar date racing toward the scene.

"Huh? Oh hey Al! What are you doing here, silly?" Alejandro merely sighed in response.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

"Maybe I should be asking both of you what exactly is going on here." They both turned, surprised to see the usually apathetic bookworm strolling up to them, annoyed and confused at the situation.

"Noah!" Both of the addressed teens replied, but one in surprise and the other in excitement.

"I haven't seen you in so long, my nerd boy!" Noah found himself suddenly being tackled by the redhead as he stumbled, not used to the added weight. "What have you been up to? I mean, Al told me what you've been doing together, you naughty boy, but I haven't heard about what exactly you've been up to by yourself. How's school? Did you manage to keep in touch with my Big-O and Ev-zy? Oh! Oh! What about Codemeister? I haven't talked to him in _so_ long, man I tell you—"

"Izzy!" An irritated Noah pushed her off, though the excitable girl continued to bounce up and down enthusiastically, ignoring her captive.

"Yeah, Noah?"

Noah went to massages his temples, closing his eyes tiredly, "Why are you shooting people now, for?" The green-eyes girl stopped bouncing, her excited grin falling into a more serious expression.

"I wanna tell you, it's a really fun story, it started with – ooh, wait, that was classified, and you weren't supposed to see this, oh darn…"

Noah blinked at the response, "Um…Iz—ah!—ahhh…" The teen fainted as Izzy's hand moved forward to hit a pressure point on his neck, Alejandro quickly catching him before he fell limply to the ground.

"Was that really necessary?"

The girl blinked, confused.

"Was what necessary?"

Al simply stared, trying to think of a response. Instead, he just opted to roll his eyes.

"Never mind, Izzy. I suppose we _were_ having a nice time…"

* * *

**Ah, finally got this finished after over a month of hiatus. I apologize once more, but I hope you all thought this chapter was worth the wait. I'd also like to thank my lovely beta, Graces Of The Child, for helping with editing and giving wonderful input for the story. The revised prologue will also be put up later today, and I'm sure you'll agree it's over 110% better.**


	6. Chapter 6 Part 1

The room was covered in a thick silence; broken only by the soft breathing of the occupant on the bed, his chest rising and falling gently. The other two occupants in the room sat on the other side of the room at a small desk, occasionally glancing over the other as the sipped at their hot chocolate.

After Noah had lost consciousness, Alejandro had promptly driven him to his own apartment, so he could rest peacefully. Thankfully, it was located close to the park and took little time to drive over in his old car. He just didn't want to alarm Noah's family with his current state by returning him there. However, it was already past sundown and he knew that he had to phone his parents soon, lest they grow worried and suspicious of his disappearance.

Alejandro sighed quietly, lightly tapping the side of his mug, lost in his thoughts and anxiety about what to do next.

"Pickle for your thoughts?"

The sudden question caught him off guard; he looked up to Izzy smiling broadly at him while, for some odd reason, holding a pickle outstretched toward him. _Where did she even get that?_

"Um… you can keep that, my friend. Please." He pushed the hand with the pickle to the side gently. "And I'm fine…I'm just wondering about a few things."

"Like what?" Izzy leaned forward with wide eyes, legs swinging back and forth from beneath the table like a small child.

Alejandro gazed uneasily toward Noah, who was still sleeping easily in the bed, before looking at the excitable redhead again. "_Pues_…I do have one thing that I would like to talk with you about."

Izzy giggled ecstatically, trying to keep her voice down only so that Noah wouldn't be disturbed, "Oh, tell me, tell me. I've been _dying_ to know the details about what you and Noah have been up to lately!"

He rolled his eyes lightly before replying, getting more tired and frustrated. "Sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to keep you waiting a bit longer for that," he ignored Izzy's disappointed whining and pouting as he continued, "I just wanted to remind you that, even though you're one of the Boss' daughters, you still are required to follow the rules. All official duty is to take place in private—the last time I checked, a local park is _not private_. What would happen if it wasn't just Noah and me there to see you?" He paused for a moment before asking hesitantly, "It was just Noah and me that saw you… ¿_verdad_?"

Izzy laughed lighted, waving a hand nonchalantly, "Pshh… Do you even have to worry about that?" She held back a giggle as Alejandro sent a skeptical look, "Okay, okaaaay, fair enough….Rest assured, Izzy let no one except her two good friends see her." She gave a mock salute, and Alejandro looked a little more relieved at that.

"Thanks… Unfortunately, that still means I have to explain to Noah what has been going on," he sighed lightly and watched the dark liquid of his mug swirl slowly, trying to calm himself, "It's not going to go well, I imagine." He felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder and glanced up to see Izzy giving him a bright, reassuring smile.

"You worry too much, silly beans."

He tried to give a forced smile in reply, but it quickly fell as he looked over to Noah. "It's hard not to worry, Izzy. I've been trying to earn his trust and I never once told him about this….all of this. I don't blame him if he never wants to ever hear from me again."

"Well if he doesn't want to hear you, he can at least see you. It's hard to do it while you're silent, but I'm sure you can pull it off!" She gave a sneaky grin as Alejandro flinched backwards, his face turning a deep shade of red.

"_Izzy!_" The girl cackled at his distress and was about to reply; however, a sleepy groan and the rustling of sheets interrupted her. The two turned to find Noah waking up, moving his hands to rub the sleep out of his eyes. They both dashed over to the bed at the sight, taking a seat on either side of Noah. He yawned before slowly trying to open his eyes.

His eyes narrowed as the room became clearer, not recognizing the surroundings and so he closed his eyes again, trying to pick up broken fragments of memories. However, as soon as they were retrieved, they quickly aligned themselves and his eyes snapped open, sitting up quickly. This was not a smart choice, as he instantly began to feel light-headed and fell back against the pillow, trying to calm his oncoming headache.

He felt a hand caressing on his forehead and opened his right eye to stare at the culprit. Frowning as he spotted Alejandro, he opened his mouth to try and speak, but was quietly shushed by a comforting hand petting his hair. That same voice whispered to him and he unconsciously closed his eyes. The words soothed him with their wispy tone, forming comforting sentences.

"Noah, _por favor_, do not strain yourself right now. You have just awoken from an abrupt sleep and should rest a bit more. We have time to talk about important things later. It is more important that you get your rest and strength."

Noah wanted to retort to this, say that he was _fine, thank you, _and that knowing what the hell happened was important than some measly sleep… but the voice was becoming to much like a sweet lullaby in Noah's ears that he couldn't fight right now. All he needed was that voice to softly coax him back to sleep, warmth filling his body again as the covers were pulled back up to cover his body. And, oh, how he would argue with Alejandro when he woke up again, but right now…. right now, he was too tired to care.

Alejandro sighed, both relief and guilt filling him as Noah drifted off to sleep. He was glad he didn't have to explain to Noah just yet… he wasn't sure he was ready to tell the truth. But, at the same time, he knew it was only fair that Noah knew of his line of work. True, it was something he neither took any pleasure in nor was particularly proud of, but… that didn't change the fact that this situation was still real. He was a part of it, and now he had to confess if he wanted to keep Noah at more than just a distance...

He groaned lightly, resting his arms on the edge of the bed and his head on top of them, his guilt and worry becoming more prominent. He had worked so hard to try and gain his trust back and now there was the chance that it would be all for naught. Not only would he still be stuck in this situation, he would now be without the thought of being around the other to brighten his day. That was the only aspect of Alejandro's life he looked forward to now… and to have the possibility to lose that… it was slightly nauseating and very frightening.

The entire concept made his entire body stiffen with apprehension, his f go hungry, no?"time and we shouldn'back and standing up.

o himazing at the sleeping teen before looking at a, surprisingly, quiingers tightening around the bed sheets. He tried to comfort himself with the physical presence of Noah. Right now, he was here. He hadn't left him.

Yet.

Frowning, Alejandro lifted his head after a few more minutes. After the last few minutes staring at Noah, he looked towards Izzy, who was surprisingly quiet the entire time. He cleared his throat lightly, jerking her attention from watching Noah's breath rise and fall.

"Let's let him get some rest for now. It is almost dinner time and we shouldn't let ourselves go hungry, no?" Izzy nodded, getting up and heading out the door and toward the kitchen. Alejandro followed silently after her, casting one last concerned look at Noah before closing the door quietly.

The next time that Noah woke up it was not so easy to coax him to put off the confrontation. This time, it could not be avoided.

* * *

Noah studied Alejandro critically as the two sat facing each other at the small table in the bedroom, Izzy listening in from the adjacent kitchen. He was silently berating himself for trusting Alejandro this much. The recent events had shaken him up considerably and he made sure to put himself on high alert this time, his skepticism at its highest (even though it was way too late). Focusing intently, he couldn't help the small pit of remorse welling up as he watched Alejandro's eyes, currently turned downcast toward the floor. However as quickly as the feeling came, it was forced out—Alejandro didn't have the right to his sympathy anymore.

"I won't ask about Izzy's actions…" Alejandro snapped his eyes toward Noah as the other began talking, "I'm sure I don't want to know what she's been up to; however, you made it obvious that you were part of this whole mess. How is that?"

Alejandro winced, his hands clenching together tightly before grinning sheepishly at him.

"I… well…it's a long story…"

"I have plenty of time," Noah cut in quickly, fixing Al with a cool glare. He wasn't about to let Al get out of this. He was overdue for at least an explanation.

After a small pause, Alejandro sighed and nodded, accepting his fate. Even with his guilt, he had still been trying to avoid talking about the subject. But, he knew that the truth was the best route if he wanted even a chance of gaining Noah's trust back. So he started the only way he could—from the very beginning.

* * *

Finishing his story, Alejandro finally made complete eye contact with Noah, his posture tense and anxious to hear the other's response.

Noah, for his part simply stared at Alejandro for a moment before looking to his hands, silently crossed on the bed he was still occupying. His posture told of his quiet reflection on all he had been told and thick silence occupied the room for several minutes that seemed to last for hours infinity—until Noah finally raised his head again to reply.

"I need some time to think it over," he held up a hand to Alejandro as he was about to protest that it had already been so long—how could that long of a time been only five minutes!—and continued on.

"You've been hiding and lying to me about your life since the beginning, when you had promised that you had changed. But, as far as I can see, that hasn't happened. Give me a month by myself. No walks through the park, no picnics, no movies, no reading in the library together, no surprise visits, and absolutely _no more love letters_ until I can figure this out. If I don't send you a letter in your mail at the end of that month with the answer, you have permission to visit me—but no time before that. Understand?"

Alejandro looked on hopelessly, and felt the urge to protest again and beg for _just one more chance_, but he choked them down and forced a small smile and a nod. There was no way he could convince Noah with a tone like that.

"_Si,_ if that is what you want, Noah, then why would I go against it?" He stood up and offered a hand to Noah who, to his surprise and relief, took it and hopped down from the bed. Escorting him out and past the (for once silent) Izzy, he bit his tongue to keep the pleas to himself, forcing a complying smile to Noah, and hiding the disappointment in his eyes.

"I shall hear from you in a month, _si?_" He opened the door for him, awaiting Noah's last reply before they parted for what could possibly be the last time.

"Yeah," Noah looked back, his eyes hard and calculating, but—and Alejandro could swore that he saw it – or maybe that was just wishful thinking?—a small amount of remorse looming in their depths. "Good bye, Alejandro."

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Alejandro gave one last fake smile.

"Good bye, Noah."

Watching him walk away, he slowly closed the door and locked it, taking a step from it before collapsing and his knees and silently sobbing, Izzy finally poking her head in from the kitchen and walked over to place a hand on his shoulder, in a small act of comfort.

* * *

_Alejandro wrung his hands together, nervously as he began, trying to strengthen his shaky voice._

_"When I first regained consciousness the only thing I could comprehend was that I felt cold—ice cold. There was a metallic material encasing and trapping my body and I looked around blurrily, my eyes not able to focus on my surroundings, or what little I could see. I was incredibly confused as to what was happening. I couldn't remember anything, and I was so cold while my skin felt so hot…_

_"My memory was still hazy from before and I was perplexed as to why I could not move my arms freely; it was as if something was obscuring their movement. I recall pushing against something smooth and frigid with my right arm, but my strength was gone and I was too weak to move whatever was entrapping me. The only thoughts I had wondered: Why? Why couldn't I move? Why couldn't I remember anything? Why was I trapped? Why? Why? Why?_

_"I next tried to move my legs. However, sharp pain shooting through every vein of my body, almost like a bullet, tearing and searing my flesh stopped my movement. I soon found that I could not move them an inch from their initial resting place without the pain starting up again. I tried to move my arms once more so that I could soothe the aching section of my body._

_ I had gained a bit of strength and managed to move my right arm, despite the metallic obstacle. Even so, it was in vain. I could not move my arms far enough before a small click stopped the motion and locked them into place, preventing me from going any further._

_"I shivered from the cold and decided to try my other arm. It led to the same result._

_"I furrowed my brow, and squeezed my eyes shut tightly before opening them again, hoping to clear my blurry vision. I needed to know what was going. All these thoughts were plaguing me as I lie in the cold. Where was I? Why was it so cold? Why couldn't I move? Why was it so painful? I registered a faint groan lowly coming from my thought as I blinked rapidly, my eyes slowly focusing in front of me. What I saw, however, didn't help my predicament in the slightest."_

_Here, Alejandro took a shallow, shuddering breath, as if the memory physically pained him. Noah's insides were feeling mixed and he had to hold himself back from expressing this physically. Clearing his throat, he stared at Alejandro expectantly until the other nodded and continued on._

_"Lights were pouring in from above and were near blinding me to the point where I had to squint to see even a small amount. That amount, I discovered, consisted of a small stage and a large desk to the right of me, along with two moving figures behind it. After a moment and my hearing slowly beginning to register, I could hear small snippets of what the two were saying. The two voices seemed to be discussing something thrilling as the higher pitched one seemed to be yelling quite a lot, and I had to wince from the sound, wondering if I should be glad I could hear again. These were the parts I caught._

**_"'…Total - It's - what a performance! - next season - so exciting! - think, Josh?'_**

**_"'I agree - spectacular! – Blaineley - new contestants - Drama! REVENGE!'_**

_"Naturally, the conversation only confused me even more and I had to close my eyes once more to keep the blinding light out and focus instead on trying to listen. The two might have been talking something related to my condition and why I was even there, after all. It was important that I listened carefully, and it was a useful tool for ignoring the pain and discomfort and claustrophobia._

**_"'What a surprise! Well, audience – ask - Total Drama Machine!'_**

**_"'Great idea! - do the honors, Blaineley?'_**

_"After that, I heard something else—another click of some sort. But, what happened after that was too startling for me to process. A primal scream unwillingly flew passed my lips as electricity flew through my veins and to every aching muscle in my body. It was then that I wondered if the shock had caused me to go deaf or mute—as I could not even hear my own scream; it was as if the vibrations had just disappeared as soon as they left my throat. A moment later, however, the true reason was revealed._

_"It wasn't that it was disappearing out of the blue; the vibrations were being absorbed into a great vacuum being used to create the sound of laughter and applause. I felt the casing in front of me move, a dial clicking from right to left as the sounds increased before stopping ultimately once it had reached its pinnacle. What was this?_

_"I tried to shake my head, only to find it was blocked. So, instead, I desperately strained my ears to listen to the two voices again—this time they were much clearer than before._

**_"'Looks like we've got a big deal of drama headed our way! According to the Total Drama Machine, we should be in for even more scandalous events, don't you think, Josh?'_**

**_"'Oh, definitely! Ooh, I can't wait to see the new female competitors get into their very first fight!'_**

* * *

Noah bit the inside of his cheek as the memories of Al's story swirled around in his mind. He was currently on his way to exit Alejandro's apartment, and the last thing he needed right now was to remember his words so soon. He had vowed to himself that he would think about this rationally.

What had _happened_ to that side of him?

A plethora of new thoughts and memories came to mind as he recalled all of the times he had spent with Alejandro in the past months. As much as he regretted it now, the other had managed to be a positive aspect of his own life. He actually recalled a point at the park where he had caught himself being curious (eager?) to find out what else Alejandro had planned now that he was back from his month long leave. He reprimanded himself now for letting it get that far, even if only in his imagination.

Maybe Cody was right after all that time. Sure, he had promised that he would give Al a second chance, maybe even befriend him, but now he realized just how far he had gotten pulled in…

He should have known better.

Al had lied to him from the start. He was no different from _World Tour_ at all. The only difference this time was that Noah had let himself be deceived and fall into his trap. It was insulting…embarrassing even, that he had been tricked.

Yet, he couldn't help but recall Alejandro's plea, his story behind all that he had done.

Biting the inside of his cheek harder he tried to keep the memories arising again, with little success. Sighing in resignation as he exited the apartment, he allowed the recollections to continue to play out, just this once. Maybe Al wasn't worth giving up on yet.

* * *

**Thank all of you once more for all of the wonderful reviews and continuing to follow this story, I really appreciate it! This chapter is actually much longer and this is just the first part of the two part chapter. So, I hope you all look forward to that, as well.**


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